‘Like what?’
I didn’t want to tip my hand here. I couldn’t tell him about the drug running. ‘I don’t know. I’m wondering if he’s moving stolen parts or something. I don’t really know, but it’s kind of spooking me.’
‘I don’t know about stolen goods or anything. I just saw the loan sharks, but once you dig yourself a hole like that, you’ll do business with anyone who’ll throw you a lifeline.’
Wasn’t that the truth. ‘Did anyone else know what was going on?’
‘Not sure. I got the feeling that Rags kept the cupboard locked on that skeleton, but I’m guessing some of the crew twigged that something wasn’t on the up and up. If you’re looking for a friend within the team to talk to, I suggest you have a quiet word with Barry Nevin. He’s close with Rags. If anyone knows what’s going on, it’s Barry. I hope that helps.’
‘It does. Thanks.’
I shook Whelan’s hand. He didn’t release his grip.
‘If I can give you a piece of advice: find another drive.’
At the best of times, changing drives was never an easy prospect. It was up there with tigers changing their stripes. Between my commitments to Gates, Barrington, Townsend and Pit Lane magazine, I was shackled to Rags.
‘I’m only two races into the season.’
‘I know there’s a lot of politics tying you to this drive,’ Whelan said, ‘but junk it and find another.’
Whelan didn’t know half the story. It was too late for that. ‘I’m not sure I can do that.’
‘Unless someone is holding a gun to your head, you have a choice.’
How about a knife? ‘I appreciate the advice, but I can’t.’
‘Look, I’ll make it easier for you. Let me tap up some contacts. If I can find you a drive elsewhere, will you take it? I’m serious, so I need a concrete commitment right now.’
Whelan intensified his grip on my hand to underline his point. I appreciated his offer more than he’d ever know. And if I proved Rags was mixed up in drug trafficking, there’d be no Ragged Racing to return to. Sometimes the lifeline people held out to you wasn’t greased.
‘You’ve got a deal.’
Whelan smiled. ‘Good. Now get lost. I’ll be in touch.’
I thought I should put an appearance in with the team and returned to the ESCC paddock next to the lake. I cut between the various team transporters and hadn’t reached our area when I heard Rags saying my name. At first, I thought he was calling me, but I found him entrenched in conversation with Chloe Mercer. She had a guest ride in the Porsche Cup. I kept back. I wanted to hear this.
‘You know he doesn’t deserve the drive,’ Chloe said.
‘I won’t say that. He’s adapting well, but he does come with a little too much baggage.’
Don’t kill yourself defending me, Rags.
‘You mean he’s a bloody liability.’
Chloe wasn’t pulling her punches.
‘Yes, he has the potential for that. That’s why I called you. The question is, can you take over for him? You’ve bitched about him, but when I offered you his drive, you hesitated. I need a commitment. So what’s it to be?’
Jesus Christ, I couldn’t believe Rags had been plotting behind my back to replace me. I knew events had conspired against me, but I couldn’t believe he was willing to cut me loose after just two rounds. Let’s see if they’d say it to my face.
As I took a step forward, a hand grabbed my arm. It was Claudia. She shook her head and put her finger to her lips.
I tried to shrug her off, but she tightened her grip and pulled me away. She led me into the thick of the paddock away from the other ESCC teams.
‘Rags is talking about replacing me.’
‘I know. I ’eard a rumour. I was looking for you so I could warn you. You can’t let that ’appen. We need you as part of the team.’
‘Thanks for the support. How about you don’t deserve to lose your drive, Aidy.’
‘Sorry. You’re right. This isn’t fair, but I’m relying on you. You ’ave to do something to save your drive and the operation.’
‘I feel like slamming the car into the first crash barrier I see.’
‘Aidy, please.’
‘OK, OK, OK.’ Claudia had done me a favour. I was over the shock. I was pissed off, but I wasn’t cruising to torpedo my drive.
‘So what are you going to do?’
‘Make it impossible for Rags to ditch me.’
Three hours later, I was on the track on the third row of the grid for the race. Four cars sat ahead of me, but far more sat behind me. It was easier to lose my position than improve on it.
Rags’ side deal still ate away at me, but I wasn’t about to let it get to me. I turned to the only piece of racing advice my dad had ever given me. He made it to one of my races before he died. I was eight. It was a go-kart race in some junior league at an outdoor track in Kent. Dad had wanted me to follow in his tyre tracks and entered me in the league. I qualified twelfth out of sixteen and I was disappointed. On the grid for the race, Dad knelt alongside me with Steve. My head was down because I knew there was no way I could win from all the way down in twelfth. I didn’t see much point in taking part. Dad had picked up on my disappointment. He leaned in and gave me the best piece of advice anyone had ever given me.
‘Now that might look like a lot of helmets between you and first place, but you can’t beat them all at once. You just have to take them down one at a time. Focus on the guy on front of you, overtake him then move on to the next. Before you know it, you’ll be in front.’
I’d incorporated that approach into every race since. Today, just four helmets were between me and success.
‘OK, Aidy, I’m looking for a good performance,’ Nevin said. ‘Talk to me. How are you feeling?’
I wasn’t in the mood to communicate with my so-called team, so I tugged the jack from my headset. ‘I’m feeling angry.’
The lights went from red to green and I used what my dad had taught me. I took down the helmets in front of me one at a time and won my first race.
‘Fire me now, Rags,’ I said to myself as I took the chequered flag.
Lap Twenty-Nine
Steve and I waited for Dylan’s call in Steve’s Capri parked a mile from Ragged Racing’s workshop. He called just after nine p.m. to give us the all clear. Finally, we were going to prove Townsend’s car tampering claims right or wrong. It was Wednesday night and my first crack at the team cars since the Norisring race at the weekend. The team hadn’t got back from Germany until today.
The moment we turned on to the street, the workshop door rolled up. A cone of light pushed back the night, shining a light on tonight’s risky activity. Steve drove the car straight into the workshop and Dylan brought the door down.
We had to work fast now. Steve and I climbed from the car. Dylan opened the boot and pulled out toolboxes and equipment. I grabbed the spec drawings I’d gotten from Townsend.
‘You sure no one’s coming back?’ I asked Dylan.
‘As sure as I can be. When these guys pack up for the day, they don’t return. In the last week, only Nevin’s come back. He just dropped by once to see how I was doing, but he hasn’t been back since.’
That was about as risk free as tonight’s adventure was going to get.
‘Does anyone suspect you?’
Dylan grinned and flung his arms wide. ‘You’re joking, aren’t you? I’m the flavour of the month. They love me here.’
The plan had worked. Dylan’s role was to play the over-eager apprentice. In an effort to suck up knowledge, he’d asked to stay late so he could get the jump on the next day. Nevin had warmed to Dylan’s enthusiasm and assigned him tasks to do after hours. Dylan had been working until nine on a regular basis for over a week now.